By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The coronavirus pandemic is creeping into all areas of education – from school buses to fans in classrooms.
Just getting kids to school under the new COVID-19 guidelines will be a challenge, Bowling Green Superintendent Francis Scruci told school board members during their meeting Tuesday evening.
“One of the biggest hurdles” to in-person school this fall will be bus transportation, Scruci said.
Under the current guidelines, typical school buses will be able to transport just 25 students at a time – with one student per seat. Masks will be required, and an aide will be mandated on each bus to make sure social distancing rules are followed.
Bowling Green City Schools has eight bus routes that currently transport more than 60 students per bus. So to meet the new requirements, the district would need 12 new school buses – which cost between $90,000 and $98,000 each.
That means the district would also need 12 more bus drivers.
“It’s difficult to find drivers in the first place – let alone find 12,” Scruci said.
And 32 bus aides would be needed to cover each bus route.
“Just this alone is about $2 million,” Scruci said of the expenses for the district that covers 118 square miles.
“That’s going to be a major hurdle,” he said. “It gives us an even larger challenge.”
Board member Norm Geer asked about the possibility of renting buses. Scruci pointed out that any rentals will be in great demand, since most districts will need additional buses.
And “we can’t just take one off the scrap pile and put it on the road,” he added.
Scruci said he hopes to have some possible scenarios to present to the school board in a couple weeks for how the district will handle the new school year during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve looked at every possible scenario or options,” he said.
“We’d like to have all of our kids back,” he said. “We’re going to do everything we can to get our kids back as soon as possible.”
School districts expect to receive some guidance from the state within the next 10 days. But Scruci pointed out that it looks like the final decision about in-person or remote classes will rest with each school board.
“It’s unfortunate when school decisions become a political decision,” he said. “It’s putting the onus on school boards to make decisions.”
Scruci warned the decisions made will not please everyone. He compared it, on a much smaller scale, to snow days – when about half of those affected support the decisions.
“We will make the best decisions for our students and our staff,” he said.
Board President Ginny Stewart mentioned that she and board member Tracy Hovest recently attended a meeting about changes under COVID-19.
“We are going to have to make some tough decisions when we have all the information in front of us,” Stewart said.
Use of fans will be frowned upon, since it is feared they could potentially blow the virus around. That will be particularly difficult in schools that are not air-conditioned.
“That’s how our teachers and students survive,” Scruci said.
The school district asked its families and staff to respond to surveys about how the district should function in the fall. Just over 50 percent responded, which is quite high for a survey, Scruci said.
About 25% stated that given the current conditions, they would not be comfortable sending their children to school. That’s about 300 families, some with members who have compromised immune systems.
“That’s something we need to plan for,” Scruci said.
The board also acknowledged that there will be no administrator evaluations for the 2019-20 school year. The state has ruled that without student growth measures, the principal evaluations can’t be done.
But Scruci said the administrators performed admirably to meet the challenges presented by the pandemic.
“I think we all should be proud of the work people did in the district,” he said. “Our staff never blinked an eye. Our administrators picked up the ball and ran with it.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board recognized the efforts that went into the commencement parade – particularly the work of Jodi Anderson.
